Pregnancy is a wonderful and very exciting time in a woman’s life. Certainly, the mother to be looks forward to the birth of her child. A lot of planning is involved along with concern about the health of the child. This is also a time for the mother to really pay attention to her own health. Did you know that a large number of pregnant women were found to have under-active thyroids? Certainly, an under-active thyroid might affect the unborn child. A concerned mother’s first thought is treating the thyroid condition or consulting with an endocrinologist for more information.
The Thyroid
The thyroid is a small gland in the front of the neck. Its main function is to supply thyroid hormones to the organs in the body. Thyroid hormones directly affect important functions in the body. For example, the metabolism or the way that the body burns fat. If your body is producing too much thyroid hormones, you might feel jittery, nervous, or warm. If your body is not producing enough hormones, you might feel cold or tired.
Low Thyroids And Pregnant Women
Formerly, reports suggested that a pregnant woman with a low thyroid condition might give birth to a baby with impaired brain development or even miscarry the child. Of course, this was a cause for great alarm in those women suffering from this health condition. However, recent health reports state that hypothyroidism during pregnancy does not pose a threat to the unborn child. Still, some women might have questions about this condition and should discuss it further with an endocrinologist in Tampa.
Testing Pregnant Women
There are two trains of thought on testing pregnant women with low thyroid conditions. The old established idea was to treat the condition, while the mother was still pregnant. Thus, dramatically reducing the chances of any birth complications or abnormalities. However, the new train of thought is that treating a pregnant woman for this condition might cause more harm than good. Still, it is important to take this on a case by case basis and leave it up to the discretion of the doctor treating the woman.
